WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans issued subpoenas Wednesday for family members of President Joe Biden, in their most aggressive move yet in Impeachment investigation Democrats strongly oppose it and it tests the extent of Congress’ oversight powers.
The long-awaited step Rep. James ComerThe House Oversight Committee Chairman’s decision to subpoena the president’s son, Hunter, and his brother, James, comes as Republicans look to make progress in their nearly year-long investigation. So far, they have failed to uncover evidence directly implicating the president in any wrongdoing.
But Republicans say the evidence they uncovered paints a troubling picture of “influence peddling” by the Biden family in the country. their business dealingsespecially with overseas customers.
“Now, the House Oversight Committee will bring in members of the Biden family and their associates for questioning about this evidentiary record,” Coomer, R-Ky., said in a statement.
The stakes are very high, as the investigation could lead to Republicans impeaching Biden, the ultimate punishment for what might happen. The American Constitution He describes them as “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
The subpoenas demand that Hunter Biden and James Biden as well as former business partner Rob Walker appear before the oversight committee to testify by mid-December. Lawmakers also requested that James Biden’s wife, Sarah Biden, and Hallie Biden, the wife of the deceased president’s son Beau, appear voluntarily for written interviews.
Requests for comment from Hunter Biden and James Biden were not immediately responded to.
Both the White House and the Biden family’s personal lawyers have done so He dismissed the investigation as a political ploy Aimed to hurt the Democratic president. They say the investigation is a blatant attempt to help former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, as he again runs for the White House.
Abby Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, said the investigation was riddled with “outdated, false, baseless or debunked allegations.”
“This is another political stunt designed to distract from the blatant failure of Rep. Comer and his MAGA allies to prove one of their wild and now discredited conspiracies around the Biden family,” Lowell said in a statement, referring to the acronym. Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.” “However, Hunter is eager to have the opportunity, in a public forum and at the appropriate time, to discuss these matters with the committee.”
In a message to House Speaker Mike Johnson On Wednesday morning, Lowell urged the new House speaker to rein in “partisan political games.”
Achieving accountability The pace of the election slowed in early October after Kevin McCarthy was removed as House Speaker by a handful of his Republican colleagues, disrupting much of the legislative business and congressional investigations as the caucus spent long weeks debating his replacement before electing Johnson late last month.
Now that Johnson has settled into the role of Speaker, he has given his blessing to the investigation and hinted that a decision may be made soon on whether to pursue articles of impeachment against Biden.
“I believe we have a constitutional responsibility to follow this truth wherever it leads,” Johnson recently told Fox News. He also said in a separate interview with Fox that he would support Comer’s decision to subpoena the president’s son, saying that “desperate times call for desperate measures, and that may be overdue.”
Since January, Republicans have been investigating the Biden family over what they claim is a pattern of “influence peddling” dating back to the time when Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president. Coomer claims the committee “uncovered a mountain of evidence” that he said would show how Biden abused his power and repeatedly lied about the “wall” between his political position and his son’s private business dealings.
While questions have been raised about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business, no evidence has emerged proving that Joe Biden, in his current or previous office, abused his role or accepted bribes.
Over the summer, Republicans expanded their investigation to include oversight of the ongoing Justice Department investigation into Hunter Biden and allegations that the case was rife with interference.
One focus of the congressional investigation was whether the special counsel overseeing the case, David Weiss, had full authority to bring charges against the president’s youngest son. In an unprecedented interview on Tuesday, Vice He told the deputies that he is the “decision maker.” In a years-long case involving Hunter Biden’s taxes and gun use.
Weiss said no one at the Justice Department, including U.S. attorneys or the Tax Division, prevented him from pursuing charges or taking other necessary steps in the investigation.
The five-year investigation into Hunter Biden was expected to end with a plea deal this summer, but it collapsed during a hearing in July. The president’s son, Weiss, has now been charged with three firearms felonies related to the 2018 purchase of a handgun during the period in which Hunter Biden admitted he was a drug addict. No new tax fees were introduced.
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Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on apnews.com
